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r?.BWS STBAM gl^INTirJG I7OUSE, DENISON, ©EXAb. 



C. H. A M. M. SCHOLL- COMTOS ITOR'.. 



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N the spring of 1872 a few unpretentious men appear- 
©'" ed in Gravson County, Texas, looking- for small 
"t^IP farms. They all bought in the same neighborhood 




and the settlers all chuckled over the quality of land 
they were able to dispose of to some of them, but not until 
these purchases had aggregated over two thousand acres 
in a solid body, and a few deeds had been spread upon the 
records conveying the whole to R. S. Stevens, was it dis- 
covered that this land was intended as a site for a city to 
be built at the terminus of a great trunk railroad, the first 
to penetrate the Indian Territory. 

These purchases heralded the birth of Denison. At 
that time the Missouri, Kansas & Texas Railroad had 
hardly reached Muskogee, one hundred and fifty miles 
away, but was making rapid strides toward Texas, and was 
known to be pointing in the direction of Grayson County. 
What were supposed to be the only available crossings of 



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2 1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887. 

ked River had been gobbled up by native land-sharks in 
the belief that a fortune was in store for them in selling 
out to the coming railroad. Sherman, the county seat, 
and the prospective terminus of the Houston & Texas 
Central Railroad, had turned the cold shoulder to this 
yankee enterprise, refusing to gi\fQ any aid or to make any 
concessions of land. True, she wanted the road and ex- 
pected it to come, but it was to be as a favor to the road 
and not an obligation to the city. 

From the very first, this great enterprise, which was 
destined to do so much good for Texas, was characterized 
as a "yankee innovation" and was antagonized and ham- 
pered in every possible way, but it was in the hands of a 
man who knew his business, who had faith in his work and 
in himself, and who knew no such word as fail. Unwel- 
comely received by a city already established, he deter- 
termined to found one of his own. With a faith born of 
inspiration and in the face of opposition that would have 
discouraged ordinary men, he pushed on his work, laid out 
the best planned city in the South, and on the 23rd of Sep- 
tember, 1872, made a public sale of lots. A goodly num- 
ber of people werq in attendance and notwithstanding the 
fact that his railroad was yet a hundred miles away, that 
two hundred laborers were resting idly upon their shovels 
between this point and Red River, restrained from building 



1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 



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a road bed across his own land by an injunction of the 
District Court of Grayson County. The bidding" was 
spirited and lots in an open prairie sold at an average of 
over $100 each or more than $1,500 per acre. The con- 
fidence of the man gave confidence to the people. In less 
than three hours after the close of the sale, building had 
commenced on Main street and to this day has never 
been discontinued. 

PUBLIC SCHOOLS. 

The city was incorporated in March, 1873, and before 
the new officers had become warm in their seats they be- 
gan agitating the subject of free schools. 

Within a year the foundation was laid for a public 
school building, whi^ch cost, when completed, forty-five 
thousand dollars and was at that time, by far, the best in 
the State. The public school fund was small in amount 
and precarious in collection but our people were enthusias- 
tic and what the public fund lacked was made up by pri- 
vate subscription. Business men contributed freely, old 
bachelors and men of family vieing with each other as to 
which should give the most, and in 1874 there was a pub- 
lic free school in Denison for ten months of the year, the 
first instance of the kind in the history of the State. It 
gave Denison at once a prominence in educational matters 



4 1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 

^^. — --^2^ - — -^- 

which she has never since forfeited. The noble almoners 
of the Peabody Fund, noticing the struggle, came to her 
aid in 1875, and again in 1876, but at the end of that year 
the people said : " We thank you for the assistance you 
have rendered us but will ask no more. Give now unto 
those who are more needy, for Denison is both able and 
willing to provide for her own children." 

And nobly has that promise been redeemed. Ten 
months of public school in every year, free to every child 
within the city's limit, extending through a period of four- 
teen years and still going on, is a record which no other 
city in Texas possesses and one of which Denison is justly 
proud. 

The single building which was erected at the start 
has been supplemented by another and another, until the 
city now owns three brick edifices for the education of 
white children, and one for colored, all filled to overflowing 
and half a dozen business houses temporarily occupied 
besides. 

The corps of teachers has been increased from three 
in 1874 to twenty-five in 1887. A thorough system of 
grading has been introduced and maintained and the cur- 
riculum has been gradually extended until it embraces all 
the branches of the ordinary city high school. 

Nor are facilities wanting for those who prefer private 



1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 5 

to ])ublic instruction. The Academy of St. Francis Xavier 
furnishes accommodations for a hundred young ladies from 
home and abroad and is well worthy of the liberal patron- 
age it is receiving, while Professor Harshaw's Commercial 
College gives the finishing touches to the young men. 

Music and the Arts have not been neglected, and 
Denison boasts of as high an order of musical education as 
any city in the land, a fact which the prominence her 
young ladies have already attained in Chicago, Boston and 
New York will sufficiently attest. 



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Rheunia'Eieg and Songump^iiseg. 

1 '»»>0««<' 

•WjlsA'^^ its foundation, the people of Denison, who were 
C^)--.. ^-c. carrying Hfe insurance, had difficulty with their 

QjakS) ■ ... . . . , 

Jjk. respective companies m securing permission to let 
\ their policies continue in force. The reason for 
this lay in confusing the upper Red ■ River country with 
the deadly lowlands of the same river in Louisiana. The 
upper Red River country is so remarkably healthy that 
the insurance companies have not only withdrawn their 
opposition, but all have their agents there actively solicit- 
ing business. 

If the selection of a town site had been made with ref- 
erence to health alone, no other consideration influencing 
its location, a better could not have been made. The 



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1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887. 7 

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place chosen was on an undulatini^, upland, wooded, 
prairie, two miles south of Red River. The surface is suf- 
ficiently sloping to give the whole city a thorough drainage 
and near enough level to require the minimum amount of 
grading for streets, alleys or yards. Indeed the amount 
of ^radintj- in the entire citv in fifteen years would not 
equal one block in Kansas City. 

The elevation of the city at its lowest part is two 
hundred feet above the river, far above 

"The fog that rises when the sun goes down." 

The highest ground is over eighty feet additional, making 
the select resident portion of the city two hundred and 
eighty feet above the river and eight hundred feet above 
the sea. 

Its situation, on the south side of the river, in order 
to be appreciated, must be accompanied by the statement 
that in Texas the prevailing wind is from the South. Due 
care is not always taken in the origin of a town, to get it 
in a healthy locality. It is either built on low land, in the 
river bottom, or on the north side of a stream, where it 
catches all the malaria borne upon the wind. It is not un- 
common to find pneumonia, bilious fevers, ague and ma- 
larial diseases prevailing in a territory five or seven miles 
from the north bank of a river, or in the river bottom, 
when no cases can be found south of the river. Even the 



8 1872— DExNISON, TEXAS.— 1887. 

ordinary prevailing diseases are mild in type and more 
easily managed on the south upland, while they take on 
violent characteristics in the river bottom or on the north 
bank. A residence on the north side of the river means 
not only anxiety, sorrow, lost time by sickness or untimely 
death to some member of the family, but it means, after a 
fortune is secured, its expenditure in seeking for a restora- 
tion of the health lost in accumulating it. Better not get 
riches if they have to be squandered on doctors. Better 
not labor for profit if all the gain must go to the drug store : 
it is poor consolation, after years of toil, to see the results 
swept up by the undertaker. Yet m'any a man. superior 
in business qualifications, makes the mistake of settling in 
the city built on the low lands, leaves his wife a widow, his 
children orphans, and has his estate divided between the 
grave-digger and the hearse owner. 

NO MUD. 
The soil on which Denison is built is mostly sandy, 
in .some places underlaid with a ledge of lime stone. Mud 
is almost unknown. Even a half hour after a violent rain 
you can walk out without getting the feet wet, throughout 
most of the town. This fact, coupled with the dryness of 
the climate, gives convalescents more days in the open air 
than can be secured in almost any other portion of the 
United States. Here can be found the greatest number of 



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1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 



PERFECT DAYS. 
There are few extremely hot or cold days. The lowest 
thermometer observed in fifteen years was eight degrees, 
Fahr., while the highest was one hundred and eight degrees, 
Fahr. These are exceptional readings. Careful observa- 
tion shows an average of four degrees (throughout the 
summer) below the temperature of the Missouri Valley 
five hundred miles to the north, and during the summer of 
1887 at no time was the temperature above ninety-six 
degrees. No matter how hot the day may be there is 
always a refreshing breeze at night, which re-invigorates 
the system. Hot sweltering nights are unknown. Through- 
out July, August and September there is no dew, every- 
body sleeps in the draft, with doors and windows all open 
and "catching cold" is unknown. The idea prevails so ex- 
tensively that the farther North the colder, and the farther 
South the warmer, that it is difficult to convince people of 
exceptions to this. Take any daily summer reading of 
the weather reports as furnished by the signal service, and 
almost invariably it will be found that Texas points are 
lower than Iowa or Kansas. Why.? The prevailing wind 
from the south is cool, off the gulf, takes up the heat of the 
earth as it travels north, and by the time it reaches Ne- 
braska is five degrees hotter than in North Texas. 

The winter temperature seldom reaches zero, never 



mi. 



lo 1872— DENISON, TEXAS. — 1887. 

does so in fact except when the wind turns into the North, 
cTind never continue so beyond two or three days. There 
is seldom ten days during" the winter season that a person 
cannot be out of doors without, or with a Hght wrap. Feb- 
ruary, the most abominable month in the North, is usually 
the most delightful in North Texas. 

Medical men understand too well the aggravation of 
all lung troubles by damp weather : first, through the de- 
bilitating influence of moisture, relaxing the system, pros- 
trating the vitality, lowering the tone ; second, the increase 
of the bronchial secretion, requiring more coughing and 
still farther debilitating an almost exhausted frame ; third, 
the liabilty to take fresh cold, rekindling the subsiding 
fever flame. Denison is in an essentially dry atmosphere. 
We have enough rain to mature crops, but no excess of 
moisture. Fog is almost unknown, and snow has not 
fallen for two years. This dry atmosphere is peculiarly- 
suitable for sick people. A hot moist day at seventy de- 
grees is more exhausting than a hot dry day at ninety de- 
grees, or a cold damp day at thirty degrees is more liable 
to produce sickness than a cold dry day at ten degrees. 
Moisture, if cold, causes a rapid extraction of bodily heat, 
followed by a shock to the system, the full force usually 
falling on the diseased tissue. An absence of such moist- 
ure means <^reater securitv from back-sets. 



18/2— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 n 

THE WATER SUPPLY 

> 

is drawn from wells. Through the strata of sand sur- 
rounding and underlying the city is filtered an abundance 
of pure water that would be unexpected on top of a hill. 
The waterworks have a stand-pipe fifteen feet in diameter 
and one hundred and twentv-five feet his^h, two hoistino- 
engines with a capacity of over one million gallons daily, 
and draw^ their supply from several wells connected with 
each other by a tunnel. C. W. Clark, Master Mechanic 
of the Missouri Pacific Railroad, says this is the purest 
water found anywhere on their ten thousand miles of rail- 
way system. It is also the most expensive and extensive 
system of waterworks in the State of Texas. 

The diseases existing in this section are the same as 
elsewhere in the United States, though modified by the 
climate. 

Of typhoid fever there has never been but one authen- 
tic case since the city was started fifteen years ago. 

Measles are the same as elsewhere. 

Of hay fever about one-half the people afflicted with 
it are relieved by coming to Texas. The other half suff'er 
in a milder form. 

Scarlet fever, that terror of northern households, is 
hardly worth considering. There have not been to exceed 
three deaths from it since the founding of the city. In 



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12 1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887. 



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the majority of instances it is so mild that the patient 
never ^roes to bed. In the worst cases medical attendance 
is seldom required beyond a few days, and sequellae are 
almost unknown. 

From diphtheria there have been about seven deaths 
in a population of fifteen thousand during 1887 from this 
disease, and that equals the number dying from the dis- 
ease in all the fourteen years preceeding. 

Rheumatism exists but is a rare disease. All persons 
coming in afflicted with it recover their health by a few 
months' residence, without taking any medicine. Climatic 
influence alone banishes the disease. 

Consumption is the disease above ail others that is 
benefited by a residence here. The reason for this will 
become apparent with a moment's thought as to its nature* 
While classed by recent researches among^ the diseases 
caused by the implantation of a tubercular germ, yet all 
doctors know that the disease is virulent or held in abey 
ance according to the amount of fresh air a person receives 
Stinginess of fresh air in the bed-room means death from 
consumption. The more fresh air persons have the less 
}iable they are to take it; if there is any suspicion of inher- 
iting the tendency, fresh air diminishes its possible com- 
ing; if it is already in the system fresh air holds out more 
hope of cure than any other plan of treatment. 



.^^^A . 



1872— DENISON , TEXAS.— 1887 13 

Look at this first in the point of elevation. No per- 
son standing in certain depots in the Rocky Mountains 
can shut his eyes to the constant stream of coffins going 
Eastward, while the palace car daily delivers new victims. 
"Too late, too late; you put off coming too long," is the 
song the dying consumptive is greeted with, when in fact 
he has been killed by the change. The attenuated atmos- 
phere of a mountain region contains sensibly less oxygen 
to the cubic foot than that of a lower region, the lungs 
have to move more rapidly to extract it. and exhaustion 
follows as a matter of course. "Too late.-'" — to say that 
the patient went there too soon would strike the truth 
oftener. A moderate elevation from five hundred to one 
thousand feet above sea level is much better adapted to 
consumptives than extremes either above or below\ 

As to moisture, a residence on the sea coast, near 
great lakes, or in a damp climate, always aggravates con- 
sumption. At Denison is a climate essentially dry. For 
three or four months in the year there is no dew, frequently 
from sixty to ninety days between rains and sometimes 
six months without rain; no snow for two years, and con- 
sequently an absence of all these conditions hinging on 
moisture which tends to aggravate consumption, at the 
same time permitting more out door exercise, more fresh 
air, more- of the essentials, which strengthen the system to 



14 1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 



resist the encroachments of the disease, at the same time 
that there is diminished chances of backsets. 

During the winter season the North, and especially 
along the sea coast, patients are housed up, unable to ven- 
ture out. If a few days of mild spring weather lures them 
from their retreat, it is at the risk of wet feet, new colds, 
and a fresh impulse to the disease. In Denison, during 
both winter and spring, the ground is generally dry, and 
the dust flying. There are not to exceed ten days in the 
winter that an invalid cannot live out of doors. 

Ah, but those horrid Northers ! Yes, they have 
throughout the southwest a keen, cold, penetrating wind 
coming down suddenly from the North, that chills every- 
thing. If prepared for it, as every sensible person ought 
to be, it is an invigorating change, giving sprightliness to 
the step, brightness to the countenance, and snap to the 
appetite. If not prepared for it you will suffer just as any 
other fool, who is caught in a shower without an um- 
brella. These Northers are no worse in Texas than in 
New York or Pennsylvania. The only difference between 
them there and here is that in New York thev are mixed 
up with so much abominable weather that a worse spell 
is not noticed, while in Texas they occur right in the 
pleasant weather. The temperature falls farther but no 
more suddenly in Texas than Pennsylvania. 



^ /^— .=^ m^ -.-^^ 

1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 15 

'-^' — -'^5^ -^^ — '^^ 

One more point, frequently overlooked by doctors in 
sending patients away for their health. All cough, from 
whatever disease, jars and debilitates the stomach. 
Nausea and vomiting are frequently present even from the 
violence of a whooping-cough. Under these circum- 
stances a patient should never be sent to a health resort, 
no matter how superior the climatic influences, if the food 
to be provided, or the style of cooking is "behind the 
age." Patients by hundreds have been sent to localities 
where pine land, sandy soil, genial skies, and pleasant sur- 
roundings existed, yet where "hog and hominy" was the 
unvarying diet, everything was fried in grease, and while the 
lungs drank in the grand atmosphere, the stomach was 
disgusted at the provender or method of preparation. 
North Texas is settled with a class of people abreast with 
the age, who know how to cook, how to live, and how to 

enjoy life. 

Denison, Texas, October 20th, 1887. 
This is to certify that the Mortuary Record of the 
City of Denison, Texas, show a mortality for the year 
ending October i, 1887, of one hundred and forty-three 
(143), of these ten died of Pulmonary Consumption, four 
of whom were born in Texas, three born out of Texas, 
and the birth-place of three unknown. 

T. E. Kennedy, 
Secretary of City of Denison. 

The average death rate of all England as given by 

Carpenter, is about twenty-two per thousand. The low- 



6 1 872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1 887 



est actual mortality quoted by him is eleven per thousand. 

The following report gives the .mortality of 1870 for the 

cities named. The death rate is per thousand inhabitants: 

St. Louis 21.3 San Francisco 21.4 

Boston 24 Sacramento 25 

Chicago 24.5 Philadelphia 25.5 

Baltimore 27.1 New York 29.3 

Denison's death rate for 1886-7 is only T2 per 1000. 
Consumption is credited usually with producing the death 
of one person out of every six. In some localities this 
rate is far exceeded. Including those who came to Den- 
ison with the disease, and died, the rate is only one in 
fourteen. Excluding known foreign born cases, the rate 
is only one in twenty. Still farther excluding the cases 
of doubtful nativity, and considering only those positively 
known to originate here, the rate is about one in thirty- 
six. To put it in different language six times as man\' 
people die elsewhere of consumption as in Denison. If 
that dreaded disease is lurking in your system your 
chances of reaching old age are six fold greater in Deni- 
son than at any average point in the country. 



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r872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 



17 



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■»»>0<««- 



IPJie Beg'E in tte 8^ 



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.lA^I'gKXAS is often referred to as a drouth-stricken state 

^^T^ and persons not acquainted with the facts, have 

^fc? been led by the reference mentioned to beheve that 

Y the entire state is subject to disastrous drouths. 

Neither Denison, nor the country tributary to her, He 

within the dry belt. Copious rains fall to bless the hus- 

bandnian, and his broad acres never fail to yield payin<j; 

crops. Denison has as fine a system of waterworks as can 

be found in the state. They were built in 1886, b)^ S. R. 

Bullock & Co., of New York, at a cost of over $200,000, 

and have a capacity of three and a half million gallons 

dailv. Water is drawn from fourteen wells, and two 

thousand five hundred feet of tunnel, with a reser\oir ca- 



1 8 1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 



pacity of sixty million gallons. The water tower is one 
hundred and twenty-five feet high, and with ten miles of 
mains, varying in size from six to ten inches, a pressure 
of seventy-five pounds to the square inch is obtained. 
THE WATER SUPPLY. 

The volume of water is so abundant that during the 
past summer the immense water trains of the Missouri Pa- 
cific Railway were supplied from the Denison waterworks, 
and this without perceptibly diminishing the supply at the 
works. The water, a free, soft sandstone, is clear as 
crystal and just sufficiently impregnated with iron to make 
it very healthful. Manufacturers seeking a good location 
will find no better point than Denison. Its abundant sup- 
ply of water, supplemented with one of the best fire depart- 
ments in the state, reduces the risk from fire to the mini- 
mum. 

The question of water, and the best in the world, is 
solved at Denison, and persons desiring to escape the 
drouthy sections of Texas, and find homes in a city where 
water of the very best quality may be had in abundance, 
should come to Denison. 

CHURCHES. 

The moral atmosphere of Denison is inviting to all 
who delight to "walk in the ways of the Lord." There 
are eight churches in the city, as follows: Presbyterian, 



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1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 19 

Christian, Baptist, North Methodist, South Methodist, 
Episcopal, Catholic and German Lutheran. Each has a 
strong nnembership, and each congregration, with the ex- 
ception of the German Lutheran, owns the church edifice in 
which it worships. St. Xavier's Academy, for young- 
ladies, is maintained by the Catholic Church, and is rec- 
ognized by the highest educational circles as one of the 
best institutions of its kind in the Southwest. Both the 
Presbyterian and Christian churches contemplate estab- 
lishing colleges in Denison at an early day. With these 
moral influences at hand, parents seeking a point at which 
they may educate their children without exposing them to 
the temptations of immoral surroundings can not do better 
than locate in Denison. 




20 1872— DENISON, TP:XAS.— 1887 



I 



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/T^ESS than thirty days ago Denison passed the fif- 
^"^'■-f^ teen anniversary of her existence. At that earlier 
period the ground upon which now stands the me- 



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f tropolis of North Texas could have been bought for 
from fifty cents to one dolhir and fifty cents per acre. 
Shrewd, far-seeing men saw and appreciated the advan- 
tages that the surrounch'ng country offered anci taking ad- 
vantage of them planned and platted the city of Denison. 
Of course, older and better settled portions of the country 
scoffed the idea that a town, much less a city, could be 
built where Denison now stands, but the originators, firm 
in the faith of her. future, went manfully to work and 
to-day Denison stands a proud memorial of their enter- 



1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 21 

prise and pluck. Situated, as it were, upon an unculti- 
xated track of land, her first hope was in railroads. One 
came, they were bound to come, come, for the then 
hamlet's geographical position commanded them. Prop- 
erty, of course, became enhanced in value, not from any 
worked up boom but from real intrinsic value. The 
attention of investors was attracted and capital began to 
flow in. Lots and blocks that were held at hundreds 
rapidly appreciated in value into the thousands and the 
tents and shanties that hitherto had marked the town site 
gave way to the brick storehouses and the handsome pri- 
vate residences that now adorn her business and residence 
streets. To cite a few examples of the rapid enhancement 
of real estate in the earliei days, and those days are not so 
far away but that they are vivid in the recollection of many 
ot the pioneer residents of the city — vivid because those 
who had nerve enough to catch on and hold on now have 
the substantial proofs of their judgment to their credit in 
the banks, and vivid to others because they daily pass lots 
and blocks which they might have owned to-day had they 
had faith. In a recent edition of the Denison Morning 
News there were cited a considerable number of instances 
where property sold at a song but a few years ago and 
quoted the reigning prices of to-day. 

"There were men c f little faith in these da\s as there 



22 1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 

"^^^^^=^^5^ - — '^-^ 

are now and always will be. They laughed a few years 
ago at Mr. Schultz when he paid three hundred dollars for 
a block near the cemetery, yet he has been offered sixteen 
thousand for it. In 1880 a block on West Woodard 
street was offered for two thousand and three hundred 
dollars. The proprietor was offered fourteen hundred 
dollars for half of it, but the sale fell through because the 
parties disagreed as to how the block should be divided. 
To-day that same half cannot be bought for four thousand 
dollars. Six years ago the block on Woodard street, 
corner of Eddy avenue, was purchased for six hundred 
dollars. It is now worth eight thousand dollars. In 1876 
William Hughes paid two hundred dollars for a block just 
beyond the Main street school house. He was laughed at 
for his investment. Inside of two years he sold it for 
thirty-two hundred dollars and to-day cannot buy it back 
for twenty thousand dollars. In 1872 three gentlemen 
bought two or three acres of land at one hundred dollars 
per acre, near the Main street school house. They weak- 
ened and sold it for one hundred and fifty dollars. It has 
recently changed hands at the rate of twenty-four hundred 
dollars per acre and in five years from to-day cannot be 
touched at the rate of forty thousand dollars." 

"These instances might be multiplied ad nauseam. 
They are not drawn from fancy but the official records of 



^^ — m^ --^^ 

1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 23 

--%■ ^5^- -^^ 

the transfer of title and the amounts paid are upon record 
upon the County's books. The instances cited are none of 
them upon the main business street of the city — Main 
.street. Property has not changed as frequently upon Main 
as elsewhere in the city, but it has advanced in perhaps a 
still greater ratio. In 1877 P. O'Donnell purchased the 
lot where the United States Clothing Store now stands 
for fourteen hundred dollars, although there was a house 
on it worth twelve hundred dollars. To-day the lot is 
covered with a fine brick store house and the land alone is 
valued at eight thousand dollars. Jack Gallagher's prop- 
erty, on the corner of Main and Burnett avenue, which 
cost him twelve hundred dollars a few years, ago is now 
worth fifteen thousand dollars without the improvements." 
With her assured future, Denison real estate is as 
cheap to-day as it ever was. Denison is now the main 
point in Texas of the entire Missouri Pacific Southwestern 
system. She is the terminus of the Houston & Texas 
Central. Lateral branches of the Missouri Pacific extend 
in every direction. The Denison, Bonham & New Or- 
leans, a line that owes its conception and building to Den- 
ison enterprise, will be in running order to Bonham by 
January i, 1887. The subsidy asked for to build the Den- 
ison & Washita to the coal fields of the Nation has been 
raised, the survey has been completed and this road will 



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24 1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 



also be ironed to Red River by the first of January, 1887. 

If property so enhanced in value during the few years 
of Denison's transition state from a hamlet to a city of her 
now proportions who can dispute the fact that it will still 
keep pace with Denison's upward and onward march. 
The completion of the Denison & Washita road to the 
coal fields, which will be accomplished in less than one 
year, will not only supply her with cheap fuel but enable 
her to command the price of that article throughout the 
entire state of Texas. The extension of the Denison, 
Bonham & New Orleans, to the long-leaf pine forest, will 
furnish abundant lumber for all kinds of manufactures of 
furniture, etc., at prices that cannot be competed with. 

Added to this Denison is situated in one of the rich- 
est agricultural counties in the state, which cannot be 
surpassed in the production of cereals, fruits or vegetables. 

If ever a city had a brilliant prospect for her future 
Djuison is the place. Her property is as cheap to-day, 
comparatively, as it ever was. Investors who now place 
their money here cannot fail to realize largely upon their 
investments. Denison cordially invites everyone to come, 
look over the ground and judge for themselves. 



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1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 



25 



^^y (jpl^i^ ©apepLiIIy. 



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H^^HIS little brochure will doubtless fnid its wav into 



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^^T^ the hands of many visitors at the State Fair, who 
L will be interested in noting the productiveness of 
T the different counties in the State. The appended 
certificates speak for themselves. 






State of Texas, 

County of Gravson, 

Personally appeared before me, 

T. V. Munson, who being by me duly sworn, upon oath 

states that he has raised on his farm adjoining Denison as 

follows: 

Sweet corn, which netted him per acre $100 

Asparagus, which netted him per acre 300 

Melons, which netted him per acre 60 

Sweet potatoes, which netted him per acre 300 

Four thousand quarts of blackberries to the acre. ... 350 
Five thousand quarts of strawberries to the acre^ ... 750 

Peaches, which netted him per acre 350 

Grapes, extra fine varieties, netted, per acre, $500 to 1000 
Grapes, ordinary varieties, netted, per acre, $300 to 500 

T. V. Munson. 

Sworn and subscribed to before me, this September 
15, 1887. W. L. Nevins, Notary Public. 



26 1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 

State of Texas, | 

CouNTV OF Grayson, f 

Personally appeared before me, 

J . J. Fairbanks, who, being by me duly sworn upon his 
oath states that he has cultivated ten acres of land, sit- 
uated one mile south of the city of Denison, in fruits and 
vegetables for the past four years with about the follow^ing 
result: 

The entire ten acres has yielded an average for the 

four years of two hundred dollars per acre per annum, net 
product, after deducting freight and cost of marketing. 

I have raised fruits, apples, peaches, plums, blackber- 
ries and grapes. 

My product of grapes has averaged not less than 
$350 per acre per annum. I have cultivated principally 
the Ives, Delaware and Herbemonts. 

I have manufactured a fine quality of wine, and con- 
sider this a first class wine producing country. 

J. J. Fairbanks. 

Sworn to and subscribed before me this September 
15, 1887. H. Tone, Notary Public. 



State of Texas, | 
County of Grayson, ( 

I hereby certify that I have 

raised on my farm, situated about two miles from Denison, 

in Grayson County, the following fruits and vegetables : 



1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 27 

--%-=-^-^^- '^- 

Blackberries, 1800 quarts per acre, netting $100 

Sweet potatoes from 250 to 300 bushels per acre 

netting ^^5 

Tomatoes averaged per acre 150 

Melons " " " ^0° 

Irish potatoes" " " ^00 

Onions - " " 200 

These profits were in each crop and I have raised 
from two to three crops of vegetables on the same ground 
per year, and two crops of potatoes per year. 

Dan Groman. 
Subscribed and sworn to before me on this October 
12, 1887. W. L. Nevins, Notary Public. 



State of Texas, { 

CouNTV OF Grayson, j 

Personally appeared before me. 
the undersigned authority, this, September 15, 1887, 
H. Tone, who being duly sworn, deposes and says that 
he, in connection with E. T. Bush, was engaged in the 
cultivation of strawberries in and near the city of Denison, 
Texas, from the year 1874 to 1885. That the average 
returns during said time ranged from $200 to $1000 per 
acre per annum, after deducting cost of marketing. 

H. Tone. 
Subscribed and sworn to before me this September 
13^ 1887. A. R. Collins, Notary Public. 



28 1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 

"^^ — ^^m -^ — '^-^ 

State of Texas, ) 
County of Grayson, \ 

I hereby certify that I have raised an average of over 
fifty bushels of corn per acre for the past six years on the \ 

farm now occupied by me, situated three miles north of 
Denison, Texas, and my entire corn crop this year will 
average over seventy-five bushels per acre. I further cer- 
tify that the average of my cotton crop for the last six 
years has been over three-fourths of a bale of 500 pounds, 
and my crop this year promises to yield considerably over 
a bale per acre no misfortune befalls it. 

J. H. Nelms. 
Sworn to and subscribed before me, this September 

30, 1887. S. S. Fears, Notary Public. 

State of Texas, \ 

County of Grayson, f 

I hereby certify that I have 

raised on my farm, jituated in East Denison, and within 

the city limits, and which I have cultivated for the last 

ten years: 

-- Radishes which netted me from one acre $337.60 

Tomatoes per acre 250.00 

Wax beans per acre 204.00 

Grapes per acre $440.00 to 450.00 

Strawberries per acre 800.00 

Peaches per acre 200.00 

P^DWARD Perry. 
Sworn and subscribed to before me this August 
17, 1887. W. L. Nevins, Notary Public. 



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1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 29 







-»»>o««<- 

Denison claims, and not extravagantly either, that 
she is destined to become the great railroad center of 
North Texas. Already her railroad interests have as- 
sumed gigantic proportions, and the work in that direc- 
tion seems to have but fairly been begun. Being the 
Southern terminus of the Missouri, Kansas & Texas divis- 
ion of the great Missouri Pacific system, immense shops, 
giving employment to an army of men, have been located 
here, and it is from Denison that four branches of the 
Missouri Pacific, piercing territory Southeast and South- 
west, radiate. That the reader may have some concep- 
tion of the magnitude of the Missouri Pacific's operations 
at Denison, it is but necessary to cite the fact that 



Jh^.^=^^^ :M^. 



30 1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 

-^%- -'^^^ -^^ 



$1,500,000 is disbursed annually to its employes at this 
point. This immense sum is divided into monthly pay- 
ments, and acts as a great stimulus to trade in Denison. 
The Missouri Pacific has lately made extensive ad- 
ditions to its yards at this point, by purchasing more 
ground and putting down twenty-five or thirty miles 
additional switching. This line alone now has forty-two 
miles of switching within the corporate limits of Denison, 
or more than all of the railroads at either Dcdlas or Fort 
Worth, combined. But the Missouri Pacific does not 
propose to draw the line at these great improvements. 
Ground has been purchased on which to erect shops 

greatly exceeding the capacity of the ones now in opera- 

! 
tion here. The cost of these shops is estimated at $200.- 

000, and when completed will give employment to two 
thousand men. 

So much for the Missouri Pacific's interests at Deni- 
son. Now let us speak of the Houston & Texas Central 
of which Denison is the Northern terminus. This 
line, like the Missouri Pacific, monthly makes large dis- 
bursements to its employes at Denison, amounting in the 
aggregate to $500,000 annually. 

Here are two railroads annually pouring into the lap 
of Denison $2,000,000. Is not this of itself strong evidence 
that Denison has already made a good start in the di- 



1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 31 

rection of becoming- the great railroad center of North 
Texas? 

But Denison has much more to offer in support of 
her coming supremacy as a raih'oad center. 

THE DENISON, BONHAM & NEW ORLEANS 

is being r-pidly pushed to completion. The grading is 
already done, and not later than January i, 1888, trains 
will be running between Denison and Bonham. This 
road runs in a Southeastern direction from Denison, pass- 
ing through the richest grain and cotton-growing section 
of the State. Grayson, Fannin, Lamar and Delta Coun- 
ties are pierced almost through their centers. Next, the 
Counties of Camp, Marion and Upshur are reached 
These counties undoubtedly contain the richest deposits 
of iron ore to be found in the South. These deposits have 
been partially developed. The completion of the Deni- 
son and Washita, to the coal fields, will give Denison ab- 
solute control of the coal supply of the State, and the 
question as to when she will become the Birmingham of 
Texas is easily answered. On the line of this road arc 
magnificent forests of long-leaf pine, cedar, cypress and 
post oak. This road opens up an entirely new territory 
to the wholesale trade of Denison, one that is rich 
in agriculture, lumber and mining. 



32 1 872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1 887 

--%■ — --isr- — -^^ 

THE DENISON & WASHITA. 

For long, weary months Denison has been watching 
and praying- for the appearance of some railroad Moses, 
so to speak, who would take the Denison & Washita and 
lead it out of the wilderness of doubt and uncertainty 
which surrounded it. But this season of suspense and 
anxiety is ended. A few weeks since a proposition was 
made by a wealthy syndicate to the citizens of Denison, 
as follows : They to contribute a thirty thousand dollar 
subsidy, seven thousand, five hundred dollars payable when 
the Denison & Washita should be completed to the south 
bank of Red River, and the remainder at completion of 
the line to the coal fields in the Indian Territory. Liber- 
ality and enterprise are the chief characteristics of the 
average Denisonian, and in one week after the above 
proposition had been submitted the $30,000 subsidy was 
placed at the disposal of the syndicate. This secures to 
Denison the Denison & Washita, and the grading of the 
line from Denison to Red River is already under way. 
Contracts for iron, ties and bridge timbers '"have been 
awarded, and all that is possible for men and money to do 
to secure a rapid completion of the work will be done. 

What will the Denison & Washita secure to Denison.^ 
Well, being strictly a Denison enterprise, it makes Denison. 
mistress of the coal situation. It secures cheap fuel to 



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1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 



33 



Denison and makes her the only point in Texas at which 
factories of all kinds may be run cheaply and profitably. 
As the source of supply of cheap fuel, Denison becomes 
an attractive point for railroads. The latter must have 
cheap fuel, and at no other point in Texas can it be ob- 
tained so cheaply as at Denison. Already the Cotton 
Belt route has signified its intention of extending its line 
from Sherman to Denison, the magnet being Denison's 
cheap coal. Other roads will follow the example of the 
Cotton Belt, and prediction never yet has rested upon 
more stable foundation than the one to the effect that 
Denison is destined at no distant day to become the 
L^reat railroad center of North Texas. 



(f^\ 




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34 1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 



Ifenicon'c J)anl<e. 



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Denison points with pride to her banking institu- 
tions — The First National and The State National. 
Both are officered by men of unquestioned probity and 
large experience, and each enjoys to the fullest extent the 
confidence of financial circles at home and abroad. 

The First National was re-organized a short time 
since and its capital stock increased from $50,000 to 
$150,000. In its newly organized state, the First 
National affords a notable illustration of the confidence 
Eastern capitalists are exhibiting in Denison enterprises. 
Following is a partial list of the stockholders, showing 
that Denison commands the confidence of the money 
marts of the East: 



. J >^- ^ixa .^.^ _ 

1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 35 



Maine— L. M. Whalen, O. B. Whalen, W. P. Bucknan, 
N. B. Nutt, jr., treasurer Eastport Savings Bank, George 
N. Hayes, Eastport; Franklin Nourse, manufacturer, Saco; 
Hon. Frederick Robie, ex-governor of Maine, Gorham; 
Hon. Percival Bonney, judge of the supreme court; Hon- 
W. H. Loony, Portland; Hon. Edwin Stone, Trustee 
Biddeford Savings Bank, Hon. J. M. Goodwin, president 
York County Savings Bank, Biddeford. 

Vermont — Hon. B. M. Smally, secretary National 
Democratic Committee, Gen. Wm. Wells, Burlington; 
ex-governor Gregory J. Smith, E. C. Smith, St. Albans; 
C. E. Bush, A. C. Burke, cashier First National Bank, 
Orwell; W. S. Dewey, manufacturer, John J. Dewey, man- 
ufacturer, J. W. Parker, manufacturer, Wm. Lindsa\', 
manufacturer, Quechee. 

Massachusetts — W. D. l^rackett, shoe manufacturer, 
S. B.King, Boston; W.W. Rice, Wollaston; Hon. W. B. 
Stevens, Stoneham; N. S. King, Newton; F. W. Johnson 
Stoneham. 

Rhode Island — O. A. Jilson, cashier Weybosset Na- 
tional Bank; J. V. Ousterhout, L. A. Pope, Warren. 

New^ Jersey — L. P. Smith, cashier First National 
Bank,' Dr. Geo. L. Romnie, B. H. Taylor, W. D. L. Rob- 
bins, M. B. Marshall. Mrs. Kate Crook, Lambertville. 

The State National, of \\hich Mr. J. N. Johnson is 



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36 



1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 



President, and N. S. Ernst, Cashier, was chartered Sep- 
tember 27, 1 88 1, and commenced business October 4, 
1883. It has had a prosperous and popular career 
and now has $160,000 capital, surplus and profits 
in its business. The authorized capital is $500.- 
000 with a paid up capital of $iOO.OOO. No bank- 
ing institution in the State enjoys the confidence of 
the public to a higher degree than the State National, 
and Denison may well feel proud of the fact that she 
numbers so stable an enterprise among her many other 
advantages. 




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,8;2— DENISON. TEXAS.— 1887 



37 



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yi\pX jD'^ni^on i^a^ b M^\ fe^r^. 



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An elevation of eight hundred feet above sea level. 

The finest climate in the West or Southwest. 

The finest vineyards in the Southwest. 

The richest cotton ""rowincf and a^jricultural country 
surrounding her. 

The finest fire, brick, cement and potter's clay in the 
West. 

Flag", lime and building stone that cannot be equalled. 

Railroads running in five directions and three more 
in course of construction. 

The natural distributing point for Texas and the In- 
dian Territor)\ 

A large jobbing trade to draw from. 



^ j ^.,. Mi^ -^ ^<^.. 

38 1872— DENISON, TEXAS.— 1887 

''^'%^=^'^^''^ '^>^"*' 

Churches, schools and everythini,^ to make you 
healthy, wealthy and happy. 

The stragetic point for factories. 
Perfect natural drainage. 

The finest system of water-works in the Southwest 
affording a never-failing supply of pure, soft water. 

■ The only land in Texas which returns from one hun- 
dred and fifty dollars to six hundred dollars per acre net 
profit when cultivated in fruit or vegetables. 

. The Missouri Pacific Railroad shops, which disburse 
$150,000 monthly to employes residing in Denison. 

Inexhaustible beds of the finest coal in the world, 
only forty miles distant. 

The Northern terminus of the Houston & Texas 
Central Railway. 

Unbroken forests of pine, oak, walnut, poplar and 
hickory close at hand. 

A Natural Gas Company already organized, with a 
capital stock of thirty thousand dollars. This company 
has awarded the contract for drilling a Natural Gas well, 
and work on the same will be begun not later than No- 
vember 10, 1887. Experts pronounce the surface indica- 
tions at Denison very favorable, and predict that Natural 
Gas in abundance will be found at a depth not exceeding 
twelve hundred feet. 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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